I Don't Wanna Grow Up
by KeaJade
Summary: Ginny, Draco, Stars, Rain, Rocks. Oh, just read it


Disclaimer:  J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.  James M. Barrie owns Peter Pan.  I own fluffy penguin slippers.

I Don't Wanna Grow Up 

            "It's what you believe in when the storms clouds fill the skies, that makes them distressing or a blessing in disguise.  If you believe in yourself, no matter what, it will matter not how it forms.  Alone in the great outdoors, the glittering, shimmering world is yours and you'll love it, when you find in countless ways, that what you believe in, you can weave into your days.  Have faith in what you believe and make it sublime.  Don't wait for showers to fall, believe in it all the time." ~It's What You Believe In (cut from the musical Peter Pan)

            Ginny Weasley stretched out on the grass near the lake.  She stared up at the stars, but only saw the two stars she was looking for.  These were stars she knew well, ever since her mother pointed them out to her when she was a little girl.  "Second star to the right and straight on till morning."  She whispered to herself.  Those were the directions.  The directions to the one place she wished she could go, but never could get there.  There you never ever had to grow up, or do anything you never wanted to.  How great it would be to actually go there.

            "What are you looking at?"  A voice asked from behind her.  Draco Malfoy sat on the grass next to Ginny.  She smiled at him, then turned back to face the stars. 

            "See those two stars?"  She said, pointing them out to him.  Draco nodded, looking up.  "That's how you get to Neverland."         

            "Neverland?"  Draco turned to look at the girl lying next to him.  "You are a strange one, Weaslette."         

            "Well, Dragon, if you even decided to take your nose out of the air and put it in a book, you might understand."  She sat up, giving him a lopsided grin.  "Neverland is a place where all your problems go away.  Even better than throwing rocks.  Here."  She handed him her worn copy of Peter Pan that was lying on the grass next to her.  "Enlighten yourself."

            Draco took the book from her and leafed through the pages.  "This is a Muggle book."

            "Muggles write rather interesting books.  Please read it, Dragon, for me at least.  It might help you understand."  Draco looked at her pleading face and back at the book in his hands.

            "Fine.  I guess I could make some time." 

            "Thank you."

            Together they walked back to the castle.  In the Great Hall they separated, going different ways to their common rooms

            This unusual friendship began about a month ago.  One cloudy night, Ginny was unable to fall asleep, so she decided to go for a walk by the lake.  As she walked around the far side, she noticed a figure sitting on the shore, throwing rocks into the water.  It was Draco Malfoy.  After he threw one rock, he stared at the water, watching the ripples spread out, then fade away.  He didn't notice Ginny as she picked up a rock of her own and threw it in.  Draco's head popped up when he heard the splash.  Then he turned around and spotted the young, red haired girl.  

            "What do you want, Weaslette?"

            "I couldn't sleep, if it's any of your business.  And what's with the 'Weaslette'?"

            "Well, I can't very well call you 'Weasley'.  I'd be referring to you brother.  So I thought 'Weaslette' would work for you." 

            "I'm impressed, Dragon.  You actually thought about Weasleys in a non-threatening way."

            "Dragon?"

            "You gave me a name, so I thought I'd give you one too."

            For some reason, this made Draco smile.  Then he tossed a rock at Ginny, who caught.  "Think of it as a problem.  Then throw it in.  It's almost like the ripples take it away."  So Ginny did this.  It almost seemed to actually work.  But then more ripples began to appear.  The sky opened up and began to throw handfuls of rain at the two of them.  Soaked, they ran towards the doors.  With one last glance at each other, they parted, each returning to their own common room.

            This chance meeting occurred many more times over the next four weeks.  Whenever one was feeling lonely or sad, they would wander down to the lake where the other was almost always waiting for them.  Conversations were light in the beginning, just talking about school, and friends and classes.  But overtime it got more serious.  They started talking about their families, and what they wanted the future to hold for them.  Sometimes they would only stay for a few minutes, but other times it was hours, and only the brightening of the eastern sky would remind them of where they were.

            Ginny was the first one to name it.  They were secret friends, as she called it.  She told Draco that everyone needed a secret friend, someone to tell things to, who no one else knew about.  Draco decided he liked this idea, for reasons unknown even to him.  But being around this girl, the daughter of his family's enemy, made him content in ways he has never been before.  Ginny was just glad to have someone to talk to.  Growing up with six brothers made it difficult to find anyone to talk to.  And talking with Draco did make her happy as well, although neither of them told the other this.

            It was now the morning after Ginny gave Draco the book.  Ginny was sitting at the Gryffindor house table mixing honey into her porridge, when an owl dropped a folded piece of parchment in front of her.  No one noticed as she quickly picked it up and read it.  _Meet me tonight? _ was all it said, but she knew who sent it to her.  Ginny looked over at the Slytherin table, caught Draco's eye and nodded slightly.  He gave her a small smile and returned to his friends, while Ginny did the same.

            The stars came out again that night.  This time it was Draco sitting underneath them, alone, with the book lying next to him.  Just like the first night, Ginny came up behind him, but this time Draco sensed her before she did anything.

            "Why do you want to go there?"  He asked, not looking at her, but rather up at the two stars.

            Ginny sat on the grass next to her, and pulled her knees up to her chest.  For the first time, Draco realized how young she looked.  "I told you last time.  Neverland is a place where all your problems go away and you never have to grow up."

            "Don't you want to grow up, Weaslette?"  

            "No."  She answered quietly as she started to rock back and forth.  "I'm going to be the first lost girl."

            "Why?"

            "Because being a lost girl would be fun.  And I thought you would understand, Dragon."

            "Ginny."  Draco put both his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him.  He noticed the moistness gathering in her eyes.  "Why don't you want to grow up?"  He asked softly, not wanting to scare her.

            She buried her head in her knees, letting the wetness flow from her eyes.  "I just don't want to."  She answered, sobbing quietly.  "It's too hard, and you have to leave everything behind, all the good things."

            "You don't."

            Ginny looked at him blinking the tears away. "What?"  She sniffed.

            "Just because you grow up doesn't mean you have to leave things behind.  You can always take them with you, no matter how old you may get."

            "My books and teddy bear and all the other things I've had since I was born can stay with me forever?"

            "Of course they can.  You might even end up needing them, especially if you have kids.  It's one of the good things about growing up."  Draco was surprised with himself.  He never thought of growing up in this sense before.  Usually when he thought of growing up it was him joining the Death Eaters, something he really didn't like to dwell on.

            "There are good things?"

            "Yes."  He told her, taking his hands of her shoulders.  "When you grow up, you can experience things like, well, like love."  He turned away from her and looked back up at the stars.

            Ginny sat for a moment, lost in thought.  Love?  Was there a hidden meaning here, or was she just looking too deep into this.  "You called me Ginny."  She said realizing something.

            "What?"  He didn't look at her.

            "Before.  You called me Ginny instead of Weaslette.  Why?"  He didn't answer her.  "Draco."  She knelt next to him, facing him.  

            Draco sighed, and leaned over and kissed her.

A/N:  My random obsession with Peter Pan spawned this story.  I was gonna make a Newsies story, but it didn't fit right.  Then the Draco/Ginny idea popped into my head, and it worked.  One last question.  Should I end here or do a short follow up?


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